NEW YORK — The Columbia men's soccer team (0-1-0) will play its first home game of the 2025 season on Friday night against Villanova (2-0-1) First kick from Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
GAME COVERAGE:
Fans unable to make it to the game can watch live on ESPN+. Fans can also track the live stats courtesy of GoColumbiaLions.com. In-game updates will also be provided on the @CULionsMSOC social media accounts.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Columbia opened the 2025 season on the road last Friday night at Lehigh. First-year Henning Myrvang scored in his collegiate debut to give Columbia a 1-0 lead in the game's 20th minute. The Lions held that lead for more than 40 minutes, but the Mountain Hawks answered twice in the second half to win their home opener, 2-1.
 
Myrvang became the first Columbia first-year to score in the season opener since Ryan Kipness in a 2-0 victory against George Washington in 2021. Like Myrvang, Kipness also made the Starting XI of his first collegiate game.
 
Myrvang (Lier, Norway) was one of three Columbia first-years to make the Starting XI in their debut last Friday, alongside Stepan Kapranov (Holmdel, N.J.) and Sage Kinner (Franklin, Mass.). It marked the first time three first-years made the Starting XI of a season opener since 2022, when Alessandro Franciosa, Ben Sidley, Brandon Newman and Ryan Yang did so.
 
Two more Lions made their debut off the bench last Friday, as Amir Yahalom (Brookline, Mass.) played 48 minutes and Yianni Goulandris (London, England) played 16.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Villanova is unbeaten at 2-0-1 on the young season. The Wildcats have played each of their first three matches at home, blasting Rider, 5-0, in the season opener (Aug. 22), battling to a 1-1 draw against Iona (Aug. 28) and using a 90th minute goal earlier this week to defeat Saint Joseph's, 1-0 (Sept. 1). Junior newcomer Sam Nyenka scored the dramatic winner with 29 seconds left for his team-leading third goal of the season.
 
Earlier this season, Nyenka was named the Philly Soccer Six Player of the Week following the 5-0 victory over Rider, registering a pair of goals in the match. Redshirt sophomore Luke Martinelli was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, scoring his first goal and helping preserve the shutout. Freshman Gleb Bogdanov was chosen as the Philly Six Rookie of the Week.
 
Villanova enters Friday's match ranked No. 18 in the NCAA in goal differential (+6) and No. 19 in goals against average (0.333). Nyenka's three goals in the early going rank No. 13 in the NCAA.
 
THE SERIES
Columbia and Villanova are meeting for the second straight year and the third time overall. Last season saw a bit of drama in Philadelphia. Joao Lima leveled the match 1-1 in the 20th minute, Villanova retook the lead before halftime, and Jack McDaid answered with just over three minutes remaining to level the score again, 2-2. With time ticking down, Villanova scored in the final minute to steal a heartbreaker against Columbia. Jorge Garcia scored on a free kick from just outside the box in what proved to be the dagger.
 
The Wildcats are 2-0-0 all-time against Columbia. Each of the previous two matches has come at Villanova and been decided by just one goal. The two teams first met in 2009 in a match that Villanova won, 1-0.
 
2025 PRESEASON NOTES

RETURNING
The Lions return 22 players from last year's team. Of them, 18 returners played in eight or more matches last season, while 10 players started at least half of last season's 14 matches.
 
In goal, senior Dean Kelliher returns with the most experience. He started nine matches a year ago in his first season as the primary keeper. It included his first collegiate shutout in a 1-0 victory over the previous season's Ivy League tournament champion, Yale. He would later make a career-high six saves in a one-goal loss to Harvard. Alexander O'Brien played and started four matches in his rookie season. They will both compete for the starting spot alongside first-year Aris Taki.
 
The defensive half and the back line also return a lot of game experience. Staples to last year's defensive formation included senior Carmine Falco, junior Joe McDaid, junior Jack McDaid, junior Jackson ten Oever and sophomore Andrew Hilton II. All five started at least 12 of 14 matches, with Falco and Joe McDaid starting all 14. Jack McDaid and ten Oever each scored twice and shared the team lead in goals. McDaid was named Second Team All-Ivy League, while ten Oever earned All-Ivy Honorable Mention.
 
Returners in the attacking half include senior Ryan Yang, senior Joao Lima, sophomore Luke Zielinski and senior Alessandro Franciosa. Those four started at least half of last season's matches with Lima earning one goal and one assist.
 
Columbia returns 89 percent of its scoring from last season, but will look for an uptick in goal production. They managed to find the back of the net just nine times last season, averaging just 0.64 goals per game. Will Case, Luka Peric, Peter Chang and Andres Garcia also got plenty of experience last season, all playing in 10 or more matches. Garcia came away with a goal and an assist as a rookie.
 
THE CAPTAINS
Columbia men's soccer announced that its captains for the 2025 season are senior Carmine Falco and junior Jackson ten Oever. Falco has played in 38 matches and started 37 of them heading into his senior year. Last season, he totaled 1,075 minutes on the field and went the full 90 four times. Ten Oever was a 2024 All-Ivy League Honorable Mention and was also named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team. He was named Ivy League Player of the Week following his game-winning goal while preserving a shutout against Yale. The Brooklyn native has played and started 27 matches in his career.
 
THE NEWCOMERS
In late June, Columbia announced the addition of eight new players to the 2025 roster. In the announcement, head coach Michael Casper stated, "We want players that fit the model of what we want Columbia men's soccer to look like – hard-working and technical with the ability to become difference makers."
 
Among the newcomers are goalkeeper Aris Taki, defenders Conor Owen and Sage Kinner, midfielders Yianni Goulandris, Stepan Kapranov, Oli Sacks and Amir Yahalom, as well as forward Henning Myrvang.
 
YEAR THREE UNDER CASPER
In what is now his third season leading the Lions, head coach Michael Casper will look to turn the corner and bring the program back to prominence. Last year saw a step in the right direction, when Columbia put an end to a five-year Ivy League winless drought by defeating the 2023 tournament champion Yale, 1-0, at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. With key defensive pieces returning, he will look to a talented group of returners and newcomers to increase goal production.
 
ABOUT COLUMBIA MEN'S SOCCER
The 2025 season marks the 78th varsity season of men's soccer at Columbia University. The program was established in 1906 but discontinued as a varsity sport from 1916-57. The program regained its varsity status in 1957 and played 63 straight seasons until the 2020 campaign was canceled due to COVID.
 
Columbia men's soccer came to prominence in the late '70s, advancing to their first NCAA Tournament in 1978 before going all the way to the Final Four in 1979. After multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and Ivy League championships through the early '80s, the Lions made a run to the NCAA Tournament Championship Game in 1983. Columbia defeated UConn, 4-0, in the Final Four to take on Indiana for the National Championship. The Hoosiers outlasted Columbia, 1-0, in overtime.
 
Columbia owns 10 Ivy League championships and 13 NCAA Tournament appearances all-time.
 
FOLLOW THE LIONS:
For the latest on Columbia men's soccer, be sure to follow the team on Twitter and Instagram (@CULionsMSOC), on Facebook (ColumbiaMensSoccer), or by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com.